


Don't Fear the Reaper

by Gobayern16



Series: Star Wars Whumptober 2020 [31]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Podfic Welcome, Torture, Whipping, Whump, Whumptober 2020, hopelessness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27309616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gobayern16/pseuds/Gobayern16
Summary: “I’m going to paint you red,” the man whispers in his ear. Fives whimpers involuntarily, terrified by the sheer maliciousness radiating off the man. He hums, clearly pleased by Fives’ reaction, before stepping away.Fives tenses, heart rate speeding up as he waits for the first blow. A moment, two, three, then the whip whistles through the air.
Relationships: CT-21-0408 | Echo/CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555/CT-7567 | Rex, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-5597 | Jesse, Fives/Echo/Rex
Series: Star Wars Whumptober 2020 [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948018
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68
Collections: Echo&Fives





	Don't Fear the Reaper

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Whumptober Prompt #31: Today's special: torture - Whipped  
> Thank you to the wonderful RogueLadyVader for beta-ing!

Fives slowly regains consciousness, head aching fiercely. His mouth feels full of cotton, tongue thick and swollen. The staccato thump of his head in time with his heartbeat reminds Fives of the stun blast he took to the face. He doesn’t know where he is, but there’s a worrying lack of noise around him. Realizing he’s most likely been taken prisoner, he casts his focus outward while maintaining a facade of unconsciousness.

The first thing he notices is he’s hanging by his wrists, strung up like a nuna after a Nubian hunting party. Coarse rope bites into his skin, his feet just scraping the ground. His shoulders burn from the strain of supporting his weight; he’s clearly been hanging and unconscious for quite some time. 

Definitely been captured. 

The second thing he notices is that he’s been stripped of all his armor and clothes minus his under shorts. As if on cue he shivers, a damp chill in the air of wherever he’s being kept.

He keeps his breathing slow, remains hanging from his wrists no matter how badly he’d like to gather his feet under him and stand, to relieve his aching shoulders. He strains his ears for any noise, unsure if he’s alone.

A door bangs open, Fives barely managing to suppress his flinch. Footsteps approach him, stop in front of him. Breath on his cheek, then —

_ SMACK! _

Fives’ eyes fly open in shock, head snapping to the side from the force of the blow. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living,  _ clone, _ ” a voice sneers.

Fives focuses on the speaker, cheek stinging. A young human woman stands before him, black hair cut short and piercing blue eyes filled with a sadistic light. 

“What were you doing sneaking around this facility?” She demands.

Fives grins cheekily. “Well, I heard Lothal was all the rage now as a vacation spot so I—” Fives cries out as a whip cuts into his back. He exhales harshly, nostrils flaring as he clamps down on the unexpected pain.

“Let’s try this again,” the woman says coldly. “Why were you sneaking around this facility?”

“I’ve always wanted to have a loth-cat and thought—” This time Fives is ready for the whip, grunting as it connects again. He sways a little from the impact.

The woman glares at him, unamused by his refusal to answer her question.  _ Too bad for her _ , Fives thinks fiercely.  _ I’m not telling her anything. _

She seems to make a decision and Fives already knows he’s not going to like whatever she says next.

“Fine. Since you won’t be helpful, I have no use for you.” She glances at whoever is wielding the whip behind him. “Do with him what you will.” 

“Yes, Madame Pryce.”

The unrestrained glee in that voice fills Fives with dread and helpless resignation.

Madame Pryce smiles cruelly at him and sweeps out of the room.

_ Jesse better hurry up and find me. _

The man wielding the whip steps up to Fives’ back, pressing against him. Fives flinches at the contact, hissing as his head is roughly yanked to the side.

“I’m going to paint you red,” the man whispers in his ear. Fives whimpers involuntarily, terrified by the sheer maliciousness radiating off the man. He hums, clearly pleased by Fives’ reaction, before stepping away.

Fives tenses, heart rate speeding up as he waits for the first blow. A moment, two, three, then the whip whistles through the air.

He bites his lip hard, back arching away from the stronger blow. He endures the next three equally stoically, almost biting through his lip. The fifth lands across the previous strokes and Fives screams.

The blows rain down hard and fast after that, each new lash slicing his back open. Fives howls in agony, trying futilely to twist away. Blood flows down his back, pools under his feet.

He loses track of how many lashes he takes, the pain all-consuming. One hit strikes his side, curls around his front and catches his nipple. Fives’ voice breaks on his scream, lights exploding across his vision.

He struggles for air, chest heaving, dimly aware the torture has stopped for the moment. A hand swipes across the shredded mess of his back, pulling a weak cry from his lips.

“Mmm, you look so pretty in red.”

Fives shudders, dizzy with pain and blood loss. His entire back is torn to pieces, blood drenching his legs and the ground, shoulders still screaming from bearing his weight through the abuse. 

As his tormentor circles to his front, whip snapping menacingly, Fives realizes he’s going to die here. Jesse should have found him already, and the fact he hasn’t means he’s probably dead.  Or just down the hall praying Fives would save  _ him _ from being tortured to death. Instead he’s going to die here, bleeding like a strung up pig, leaving Jesse to die too. 

_ He’s never going to see Echo or Rex again. _

Never see Echo’s sly smile when he successfully blames a prank on someone else. Rex’s fond eye roll when he attempts a stupid stunt. No more kisses, no more cuddle piles, no more movie nights and lazy mornings.

Fives’ breath hitches, a sob stuck in his throat.

“Aw, what’s this? Is the poor baby crying?” His torturer jeers mockingly, thrilled at the reaction. “Realized you’re going to die here, Republic scum?” The man doesn’t wait for an answer, whip connecting with his chest and tearing a ragged scream from Fives’ throat.

The relentless torture continues but the pain and blood loss overwhelm Fives. His vision darkens, energy fading.

_ I’m sorry, Echo, Rex. _

He’s distantly aware of the blows stopping, blaster bolts flying through the air and a body hitting the ground with a thump.

Hands touch him and if he had any strength left he would twitch away.

“Hang on, Fives, I’m here. I’ve got you.”

The voice is familiar. Fives furrows his brow, tries to think through the murky darkness and searing pain clouding his mind. A moment later he’s weightless, arms catching him and lowering him down. The pressure on his ruined back sends fire racing down his nerves and he keens, trying to escape the pain.

His savior is talking again, a panicked babble that slowly resolves into words.

“—was supposed to be a simple mission! Just take a peek—Fives?”

“Jesse…” Fives mumbles, finally recognizing the voice. His brother found him.

“Yeah vod, it’s me. Can you open your eyes for me?”

_ Open his eyes? When did he close them? _ Fives frowns, struggles to lift eyelids weighed down with durasteel. Jesse’s tattooed face swims into focus, a relieved smile on his face.

“Glad you could join me, Fives,” Jesse jokes lightly. Fives mumbles something rude, eyes slipping shut again.

“Hey, hey, hey, stay awake, Fives!” Jesse’s tone rises in panic. “You can’t die on me! Do  _ not _ make me tell the Captain and Echo you died on my watch!”

“S’rry Jesse…” FIves slurs, sinking down into the welcoming darkness.

“Fives!”

5555555555555555555555

Fives wakes slowly, laying on something soft. There’s a warm weight on his right arm, a hand gripping his. Someone is tapping away at a datapad, and Fives wrinkles his nose in annoyance at the noise.

The sound stops instantly. There’s a soft touch on his shoulder.

“Fives? You back with us?”

Fives hmmms drowsily, content to float in the darkness.

“Come on, let me see those eyes,” the voice cajoles. “Don’t make me order you, trooper.”   
  


_ Order me? …  _ **_Rex_ ** _. _

Fives focuses all his energy, wills his stubborn eyelids to cooperate. 

Slowly, oh so slowly, he manages to inch his eyes open.

There’s a blue-blond blur at the side of his bed, that resolves into—

“Rex,” Fives croaks. Rex holds up a cup with a straw and Fives drinks greedily, wetting his parched throat.

“Hey, Fives.” Rex smiles shakily. “You worried us big time, cyare.”

“Us?”

Rex nods at Fives' hand and he looks down. Echo is slumped over in a chair, head resting next to Fives’ arm, hand gripping his tightly.

“Didn’t mean to,” Fives offers weakly.

Echo chooses that moment to jerk awake. He glances at Fives and double takes when he sees Fives looking back. Fives would laugh if he didn’t feel like death warmed over.

“Hey, Echo.”

“You’re awake!” He gasps. Tears well in his eyes. “I thought we were gonna lose you…”

“But you didn’t. I’m right here, Echo.”

Echo’s breath hitches, his cyare struggling to hold back his tears. Fives wordlessly lifts an arm, wincing at the dull throb in his shoulder and back. Echo doesn’t hesitate to take the invitation and buries his face in Fives’ shoulder, sobs wracking his frame.

“Shhh, it’s alright. I’m okay.” Fives mutters soothing nonsense into Echo’s hair. Rex moves behind him, rubbing circles on his back.

Eventually Echo’s tears dry up and he sits back in his chair.

“Sorry,” he rasps, sniffling and wiping his eyes. “You’re the one who almost died. We should be comforting you.”

“Honestly?” Fives says quietly. “It was nice holding you. I thought I was never going to see you again.”

“Fives…” Rex murmurs, heart aching at the terror and abandonment his vod, his  _ cyare _ , suffered through.

Fives smiles tremulously. “I thought I was going to die there. And all I could think about was all the things I’d never get to do with you again.” Fives’ voice cracks, the terror and pain of the memory overwhelming him. 

“Oh, Fives…” Rex sits on the bed and gathers him in tight, mindful of his injuries. Fives breaks, tears streaming down his cheeks as he sobs into Rex’s shoulder.

Echo sits beside Rex, wraps his arms around Fives as best he can.

“We’re here, cyare. We’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

They hold him as Fives breaks apart, all the pain and fear pouring out of him.

Eventually the tears dry up and Fives falls into a deep sleep, emotionally and physically exhausted.

His lovers hold him tight, cocooning him in their love and warmth.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos greatly appreciated. :)
> 
>  **Permissions:** All my works, including this one, can be translated and podficced without first asking my express permission. I ask only that you credit me as the original author and provide a link back to the original work. For anything else, please ask first. Thanks.


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